Record Breaking – Ireland’s Olympic Boxing Team make history
Team Ireland made history as they posted some impressive numbers in Bangkok over the last week.
Four of the seven-strong team sent to the final qualification tournament left with tickets to Paris in their suitcases.
Daina Moorehouse, Jennifer Lehane, Grainne Walsh and Aidan Walsh joined Kellie Harrington, Aoife O’Rourke, Micheala Walsh, Dean Clancy, Jack Marley and Jude Gallagher on the list of Irish boxers qualified to represent their country at the Paris Games.
The victories of Moorehosue, Lehane and Walsh mean Ireland will have a female operator in each weight for the first time.
It’s only the second time a 10-strong Irish boxing team contested a Games, equaling the record set by the class of 1960, who competed in the Rome Olympics a certain Muhamad Ali won light heavyweight gold in.
The ‘ambitious’ target set by the High Performance was eight boxers qualified, so 10 is a huge success.
Ireland are also joint third in terms of team size travelling to Paris 2024 and will have more boxers on show than the likes of Cuba, America, Team GB and Ukraine.
Only Australia (12) and Uzbekistan (11) will have more boxers at the latest installment of the Olympics than Ireland, who have 10 alongside Brazil and Kazakhstan.
It’s a massive achievement possibly not understood outside the boxing community. In fact, High-Performance Director suggests the 10 Ireland got through should be deemed as highly as the 12 the Australians got to Paris.
“Without causing offence to my home country, Oceania is probably the easiest of the continental qualification routes. Ireland qualifying a team of 10 through the European Games and two World Qualifying g tournaments, with legitimate medal prospects… Outstanding, bring it on,W” she said online.
The Team in full is
IRISH BOXING OLYMPIC TEAM
50kg Daina Moorehouse
54kg Jennifer Lehane
57kg Michaela Walsh
60kg Kellie Harrington
66kg Grainne Walsh
75kg Aoife O’Rourke
57kg Jude Gallagher
63.5kg Dean Clancy
71kg Aidan Walsh
92kg Jack Marley
IRISH SQUAD AT ROME 1960
Flyweight: Adam McLean (Crown)
Lost to Karimu Young (Nigeria) 1-4
Bantamweight: Paddy Kenny (Cork News Boys & Coventry Irish)
Beat Emile Anner (Switzerland) 5-0
Lost to Jerry Armstrong (USA) 2-3
Featherweight: Ando Reddy (Sandymount)
Beat Andre Juncker (France) 3-2
Lost to Abel Bekker (Rhodesia) 0-5
Lightweight: Danny O’Brien (Omagh)
Beat Esteban Aguilar (Cuba) 5-0
Lost to to eventual silver medallist Sandro Lopopolo (Italy) 0-5
Light-welterweight: Bernie Meli (Immaculata)
Beat Michail Demetre (Greece) 5-0
Lost to eventual gold medallist Bohumil Nemecek (Czechoslovakia) 0-5
Welterweight: Harry Perry (British Rail)
Lost to Ki-soo Kim (Korea) 2-3
Light-middleweight: Mick Reid (Crumlin)
Beat Helio Crescencio (Brazil) 4-1
Lost to Henryk Dampe (Poland) 0-5
Middleweight: Eamonn McKeon (Crumlin)
Beat Mohammed Ben Gandoubi (Tunisia) 5-0
Lost to Frederik van Rooyen (South Africa) 0-5
Light-heavyweight: Colin McCoy (Kilcullen)
Lost to Matti Aho (Finland) 1-4
Heavyweight: Joe Casey (Arbour Hill)
Lost to Obrad Sretenovic (Yugoslavia) 0-5
